Tuscany is divided into ten provinces. Tuscany stretches over the slopes of the Apennines and borders the Tyrrhenian Sea. The landscape is mostly hilly with a flatter area along the sea called Maremma. Visit the wineries across the Chianti hills from Siena to Florence. The two notable wine towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino are also located in the province of Siena in Tuscany.

The largest Christmas market in Tuscany is held in Montepulciano until January 7th, 2019 in Piazza Grande.

On of my favorite Tuscan towns is Siena. The historic center became an inscribed UNESCO site in 1995. Siena’s yellowish brown buildings are the embodiment of a gothic medieval city. Her golden age came to a screeching halt with the Black Death of 1348.

Enlightened travelers will love this charming city in the heart of Chianti country about 21 miles south of Florence. Siena is the birthplace of Saint Catherine (1347), the patron saint of Italy. She received the stigmata at Pisa and her head is still housed in the Basilica of San Domenico.

The brick, shell shaped brick Piazza del Campo is one of Italy’s most triumphant piazzas, large enough to feature a semi-annual 350 year old summer bareback horse race called the “Palio delle Contrade.” The Piazza’s surface is divided inato nine segments by colored paving stones, symbolizing the Council of Nine. Their members governed the city in her medieval heyday. The Council met at the Palazzo Pubblicoon the eastern part of the square.

Torre del Mangia towering above of the Palazzo Pubblico

The residents of Siena were fierce rivals of the Florentines. The distinctive 330 foot city watch tower Torre del Mangia bears witness to their intense rivalry. Climb to the summit of the Gothic Cathedral; the summit of the tower offers a superb panoramic view of Tuscany.

Throughout the centuries, the residents preserved their city’s Gothic appearance, acquired between the 12th and 15th centuries. In this period, the work of many artists including Duccio, the Lorenzetti brothers and Simone Martini influenced the course of European art. Many artists were influenced by Byzantium of the late 15th century. The entire historic city center of Siena, built around the Piazza del Campo, was devised as a work of art that blends into the surrounding landscape. In the southwestern quadrant of the city, the Duomo houses masterpieces by Michelangelo, Bernini and Donatello. Visit Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s, “Allegory of Good and Bad Government” (1318), in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena.

There are many Holiday Events is Siena and other charming provinces of Tuscany:

In the Province of Siena

“Un Natale Speciale” in the town of Chiusi from December 6-25

The Feast of San Lucia on December 13th in the Church of Saint Lucia in Siena

Festa dell’Olio in mid-December

A New Year’s Eve Concert in Piazza del Campo in Siena

“Mostra dei Presepi” is the 16th Annual event in Bottolle (Citta dei Presepi) in Sinalunga Siena from December 12th to January 16th

In Montepulciano attend the Festa e Fiera di Natale

More Events in Tuscany

In Equi Terme witness the “Presepi Viventi”–living Nativity Scenes

Fiera de San Michelle on December 8th in Lucca

The Barga Chocolate Festival on December 4th and 5th in Lucca

In Lucca between December 25 and January 1st there are weekly Puccini concerts at the Basilica of St. John

In Arezzo attend the Honey Festival on December 12-13 in Piazza Risorgimento

Slow Christmas Exhibition in Cutigliano Pistoia from December 4th-12th

Nightview of Shanghai, shot from rooftop of Jin Mao Tower. Bottled wine import in China has dropped by over a quarter in both volume and value during January to April 2020 The post China: Wine imports drop but trade points to green shoots appeared first on Decanter.

Château Haut-Brion was among the very first properties in the region to introduce stainless steel vats for winemaking. Their histories, personalities and strengths... The post Bordeaux: The five first growths appeared first on Decanter.

Château Cos d'Estournel. The St-Estèphe second growth has become the latest big name to lower its release price early in the Bordeaux 2019 en primeur campaign. The post Château Cos d'Estournel 2019 released en primeur appeared first on Decanter.

The property includes five aflaj irrigation systems and is representative of some 3,000 such systems still in use in Oman. The origins of this system of irrigation may date back to AD 500, but archaeological evidence suggests that irrigation systems existed in this extremely arid area as early as 2500 BC. Using gravity, water is channelled from underground s […]

The nine Sacri Monti (Sacred Mountains) of northern Italy are groups of chapels and other architectural features created in the late 16th and 17th centuries and dedicated to different aspects of the Christian faith. In addition to their symbolic spiritual meaning, they are of great beauty by virtue of the skill with which they have been integrated into the s […]

The monumental complex at Caserta, created by the Bourbon king Charles III in the mid-18th century to rival Versailles and the Royal Palace in Madrid, is exceptional for the way in which it brings together a magnificent palace with its park and gardens, as well as natural woodland, hunting lodges and a silk factory. It is an eloquent expression of the Enligh […]

Construction of this palatine chapel, with its octagonal basilica and cupola, began c. 790–800 under the Emperor Charlemagne. Originally inspired by the churches of the Eastern part of the Holy Roman Empire, it was splendidly enlarged in the Middle Ages.

In the district of Port Louis, lies the 1,640 m2 site where the modern indentured labour diaspora began. In 1834, the British Government selected the island of Mauritius to be the first site for what it called ‘the great experiment’ in the use of ‘free’ labour to replace slaves. Between 1834 and 1920, almost half a million indentured […]

Located inside the Arctic Circle in the central part of West Greenland, the property contains the remains of 4,200 years of human history. It is a cultural landscape which bears witness to its creators&apos; hunting of land and sea animals, seasonal migrations and a rich and well-preserved tangible and intangible cultural heritage linked to climate, navi […]

The abbey, together with its monumental entrance, the famous &apos;Torhall&apos;, are rare architectural vestiges of the Carolingian era. The sculptures and paintings from this period are still in remarkably good condition.

The Convent of St Gall, a perfect example of a great Carolingian monastery, was, from the 8th century to its secularization in 1805, one of the most important in Europe. Its library is one of the richest and oldest in the world and contains precious manuscripts such as the earliest-known architectural plan drawn on parchment. From 1755 to 1768, the conventua […]

The church, baptistry, basilicas, public buildings, streets, monasteries, houses and workshops in this early Christian holy city were built over the tomb of the martyr Menas of Alexandria, who died in A.D. 296.

Instagram

The property includes five aflaj irrigation systems and is representative of some 3,000 such systems still in use in Oman. The origins of this system of irrigation may date back to AD 500, but archaeological evidence suggests that irrigation systems existed in this extremely arid area as early as 2500 BC. Using gravity, water is channelled from underground s […]

The nine Sacri Monti (Sacred Mountains) of northern Italy are groups of chapels and other architectural features created in the late 16th and 17th centuries and dedicated to different aspects of the Christian faith. In addition to their symbolic spiritual meaning, they are of great beauty by virtue of the skill with which they have been integrated into the s […]

The monumental complex at Caserta, created by the Bourbon king Charles III in the mid-18th century to rival Versailles and the Royal Palace in Madrid, is exceptional for the way in which it brings together a magnificent palace with its park and gardens, as well as natural woodland, hunting lodges and a silk factory. It is an eloquent expression of the Enligh […]

Construction of this palatine chapel, with its octagonal basilica and cupola, began c. 790–800 under the Emperor Charlemagne. Originally inspired by the churches of the Eastern part of the Holy Roman Empire, it was splendidly enlarged in the Middle Ages.

In the district of Port Louis, lies the 1,640 m2 site where the modern indentured labour diaspora began. In 1834, the British Government selected the island of Mauritius to be the first site for what it called ‘the great experiment’ in the use of ‘free’ labour to replace slaves. Between 1834 and 1920, almost half a million indentured […]